Rancho Santa Margarita

City in Orange County

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Report created October 27, 2026 at www.firezones.info/community/59587/rancho-santa-margarita

  • Fire hazard severity zones

    Share of the land in each CAL FIRE hazard class

    68% Very High

    Most of the Very High land is in the Local Responsibility Area, where the City of Rancho Santa Margarita adopts the zones CAL FIRE recommends.

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  • Fire history

    Share of the land inside a recorded wildfire perimeter

    58% has burned

    Most recently the 2017 Antonio Fire, which burned 2 acres here, one of 11 fires on record.

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  • Power line fire risk

    Share of the land in the High Fire-Threat District

    11% Extreme

    Utilities may shut off power in the CPUC High Fire-Threat District in fire weather, and homes outside it can lose power when their lines run through it.

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Land by hazard class

  1. Very High 5,588 acres · 4 state, 5,584 local 68%
  2. High 1,615 acres · <1 state, 1,614 local 20%
  3. Moderate 503 acres · <1 state, 503 local 6%
  4. Non-wildland 572 acres · Local Responsibility Area 7%
  5. Not mapped by CAL FIRE 1 acres · Mostly federal land <1%

8,278 acres of land in all, 5 in the State Responsibility Area and 8,273 in the Local. State zones are the ones the State Fire Marshal designated, in effect since 1 April 2024. Local zones are CAL FIRE's 2025 recommendation, which each city or county adopts by ordinance and can make stricter. How to read fire zones

Largest fires

  1. 1970 Nelson Fire Of 3,586 acres in all · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,453 acres
  2. 1980 Indian Fire Of 28,940 acres in all · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,360 acres
  3. 2002 Antonio Fire Of 1,480 acres in all · Cause: Miscellaneous 1,138 acres
  4. 1958 Steward Fire Of 68,106 acres in all 530 acres
  5. 1976 Harvester Fire Of 526 acres in all 465 acres
  6. 1944 Unnamed fire Of 495 acres in all 374 acres
  7. 1963 Unnamed fire Of 168 acres in all 153 acres
  8. 1997 Coto Fire Of 198 acres in all · Cause: Playing with fire 117 acres
  9. 1976 Wagon Wheel Fire Of 491 acres in all 39 acres
  10. 2017 Antonio Fire 2 acres

And 1 smaller fire. In all, 4,820 acres of Rancho Santa Margarita have burned. Acres are the land each fire burned here, and fires that crossed less than an acre are not counted. Some older or smaller fires may be missing, and a fire perimeter can include unburned patches. How to read fire history

Sources

Fire hazard severity zones
CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal
State map published 27 June 2025, local map 2 February 2026
Fire history
CAL FIRE Fire and Resource Assessment Program
Published 28 July 2026
Power line fire risk
California Public Utilities Commission
Published 23 February 2026

This site is independent and not affiliated with CAL FIRE or the CPUC, so for an official determination, check with the agency or your city or county. How we read the data

Nearby areas

ZIP codes in Rancho Santa Margarita

Neighboring communities

  1. Rancho Santa Margarita 68% Very High · this area
  2. Coto de Caza 74% Very High
  3. Lake Forest 33% Very High
  4. Las Flores 74% Very High
  5. Mission Viejo 7% Very High
  6. Rancho Mission Viejo 95% Very High
  7. Trabuco Canyon 97% Very High